True Despair - Forsaken Lands
by Viner16
Summary: 20 students enclosed within sky-high walls are left at the mercy of Monokuma, unsure of how they got there. As Monokuma pushes them to their limits, who will survive? Who will resort to murder? And most importantly, who will fall into true despair? OC Story.
1. The Future Waits

_Hello! Here's some general information you should know before reading this!_

_~I use the English localization's term, 'Ultimate', over SHSL (Super High School Level). This is because I am horribly lazy and I hate acronyms.  
~I have no idea if any of these Japanese names sound realistic. Also I threw in some foreigners. Yay!  
~I don't even know if people will even read this, seeing as a) It's an OC story b) That's not a SYOC  
~Chapter 1 is spent entirely on introductions and setting the plot.  
_

_Enjoy the story!_

_**Important Update: **Due to increasing time constraints, updates will be slower and more erratic. Sorry!  
_

* * *

**Chapter 1 - The Future Waits**

* * *

Yumiko Minuki opened her eyes. Her entire world was white, and she slowly squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light. Finally, she could make out where she was.

She seemed to be lying in some canopy bed, golden curtains hanging from it. She got up, and her joints groaned in protest. She felt like she hadn't moved in years. Looking around, she realized the room she was in was decorated similarly to the bed. Golden drawers, desks, lights, wallpapers surrounded her, sparkling and twinkling. She looked around the room in awe.

_What was I doing here? There must be some clues outside..._

Her head ached, and she couldn't recall how she had come to this room. It certainly wasn't anything she had seen before. She stumbled towards the door unsteadily, her legs shaking. Fumbling for the doorknob, she looked up. She saw the giant golden mirror perched on the wall, and almost didn't recognize herself.

Staring at her was a girl with wild crimson eyes, long flowing blue hair tangled everywhere. Her lips a straight line, she looked absolutely insane. The brown trench coat she was wearing wasn't buttoned properly, ending up with the coat being lopsided. She pulled up the collar of her trench coat, adjusting it, before redoing the buttons properly. Her black pants seemed to be fine, and all she did was smooth them out. She ran her fingers through her hair, straightening it.

_Great, now I didn't look like I was lost in the wilds for weeks_. She opened the door, and entered a grand hallway. Stone walls greeted her, and the hallway seemed to stretch to her left and right endlessly. Suits of armour lined the walls, holding various weapons. Was this some castle? Out of place, light bulbs within the ceiling lighted the hallway. _What was going on...?_

She looked back towards her room, and noticed a name plate on her door. It displayed Yumiko Minuki, with the numbers 107. Walking down the hallway, she noticed other doors with similar name plates. Taking note of this, she saw a pair of doors, different from the rest. Iron bolts dotted it surface, with circular rings for handles. Gripping it, she pushed the two doors open.

She entered a grandiose room, a gigantic rectangular golden table taking up the majority of it. Numerous plates, silverware and candles were on the table, an enormous chandelier hanging over it. A fireplace crackled at one end of the table, another set of doors at the other end. Was this the dining room? Light seeped through the fancy windows, laced with golden curtains as well.

However, what caught her attention the most was the group of students standing near the table, as if hesitant to sit down. They all stared at her, the newcomer.

"I do believe that's everyone accounted for!" shouted a dude, black eyes staring at her. His glasses glinted in the sunlight. Messy, unkempt brown hair partially obscured his eyes, but he didn't seem to care. He wore a school uniform she didn't recognize, and even more strange it didn't have the name of any school on it."Come over here will you? We have much to discuss!"

"How do you know everyone is here? For all we know there could be more..." a girl poked her fingers together. She was wearing a beret, dirty blonde hair flowing out to her waist. Her startling green eyes gazed downwards. Underneath her blue overalls she wore a plain white T-shirt. Paints of various colours were splattered over her overalls.

The first dude shook his head, looking quite smug. "If you were to count the amount of chairs at this table, you would find there to be 20! With the inclusion of our newcomer, that would bring our group total to 20! Logically, this would mean everyone has now assembled here!"

Minuki slowly walked towards them, wary. This was definitely not a normal situation, and she was cautious if any of them were dangerous. "... Do any of you know what's going on?"

A boy with a fishing hat shrugged, similar blue hair jutting out from under his hat. His face was slightly chubby, and his brown eyes had a mischievous quality to them. He didn't look Japanese, perhaps he was a foreigner? His striped jacket was unbuttoned, showing off his tattered green shirt. The boy stuck his hands in his blue jeans. "Nope! I'm assuming you woke up in one of those rooms as well?"

Minuki nodded, reaching the group. She was close enough to see each of them, yet had distanced herself in case something went wrong.

The first dude pushed up his glasses. "If everyone is present, now would be the ideal time to introduce ourselves, no? It would be quite hard to discuss what is going on if we can't even refer to each other!" He smiled, crossing his arms. "I shall go first! My name is Masaki Takashi!"

* * *

-Masaki Takashi Ultimate Leader-

* * *

"I came to Hope's Peak as the Ultimate Leader, prepared to lead our country into a new golden era! Let me warn you now, my genius is unmatched!" A couple of the students groaned and rolled their eyes, but Takashi paid them no notice. "Who's next?"

_W-wait... Hope's Peak?_ Minuki clutched her head, the aching getting worse. _Oh right... I was at Hope's Peak..! _Bits and pieces came to her, as she remembered her year at Hope's Peak, her classmates, her friends. A particular boy came in mind, smiling warmly at her, but she quickly shook the memory from her head. She had more pressing concerns. _If I was at Hope's Peak, how did I end up here?_ She scrambled her brain, but drew a blank.

"Are you okay?" she looked up at the concerned face of the boy with the fishing hat.

"Y-yeah... I'm fine." _I think._

"Well, if you say so." He smiled. "Nathan Dagle's my name, Fishing's my game!"

* * *

-Nathan Dagle Ultimate Fisher-

* * *

He laughed. "Came all the way from America to attend this school, and man it has not been a disappointment so far! I wonder what's going on right now?"

Someone scoffed. "Do you really think this is some school event?" Minuki looked towards the boy speaking, accessing him. He had brown wavy hair, with lightning blue eyes. His gaze seemed to be piercing through her. A little smile decorated his face, yet it unsettled Minuki. Most interestingly was the horizontal scar across his nose. His sleeves were rolled up, showing off his well-built arms. The white apron he wore was covered in dust. In his hands he fiddled with a chisel. "I don't recall any castles near the school..." He stopped fidgeting with the chisel. "Kaisa Kakusa."

* * *

-Kaisa Kakusa Ultimate Sculptor-

* * *

"The Kaisa Kakusa? The prodigy sculptor?" A girl tilted her head, thinking. Her hair only reached her shoulders, yet it was dyed a vivid pink. She had a lip piercing, with further piercings along her right ear. She wore a white sleeveless shirt, with black shorts. "You could say I'm a... fan of your work." She turned to Minuki. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Hisano Kasumi."

* * *

-Hisano Kasumi Ultimate Thief-

* * *

Kakusa frowned. "Define _fan_."

Kasumi flashed a small grin. "I'm just a fan, nothing more, nothing less. I prefer to steal works with more... taste."

"Are you saying my works aren't good enough for you to steal?" Kakusa's hands twitched.

"Hey hey, are we already arguing?" someone sighed. She stood in between the two. "Let's at least hear everyone's name!" Her brown hair was fashioned into a ponytail, her face dotted with freckles. She wore a purple vest, a black shirt underneath. She looked apologetically to Minuki. "Sorry you had to see that. I'm Pearl Taylor."

* * *

-Pearl Taylor Ultimate Surfer-

* * *

"I guess you can say surfing's my talent? I always saw it more of a hobby though, aha." She grinned, holding her thumb up.

"I guess I'll go next..." stammered the girl from earlier, the one with the paint splattered overalls and a beret."You can just call me Kinagai Miyazaki."

* * *

-Kinagai Miyazaki Ultimate Painter-

* * *

"I'm the Ultimate Painter... That's it."

"I'll go next." A tanned man walked up, holding on to the edges of his cowboy hat. Shaggy black hair billowed out from underneath his hat. His sharp cheekbones and tall demeanor made her think he was a teacher, not a student, if it wasn't for his clothe. He wore a brown poncho, engulfing most of his body. In his other hand, he twirled a revolver.

"Rai Zaimon. Howdy."

* * *

-Rai Zaimon Ultimate Cowboy-

* * *

"You're allowed to carry that gun?" Minuki stared incredulously at the weapon in his hand.

"Oh, this? Don't worry, it's just for show. Gun's empty." he laughed. "Hey, why don't you go next Hatake?"

"Gak! Don't call me out! Damnit..." The boy in question hesitated. He had a huge red mohawk, that looked utterly ridiculous to Minuki. A chain connected his lip piercing and ear piercing, dangling. On his black shirt was a picture of a stick man on fire. Sweating, he flicked out a lighter, watching the flames. "Fucking hell... I'm Kasami Hatake, okay?"

* * *

-Kasami Hatake Ultimate Pyromaniac-

* * *

"I set shit on fire, somehow that landed me here." His eyes solely dedicated to the flickering flame from the lighter, he didn't even glance at Minuki.

"Hello hello! Lookie over here! Name's KA-NA NA-MI! Say it with me!" Minuki glanced over at the girl in question, who was hopping in the air. Her blonde hair was styled into twin ponytails, while her face radiated cheer. Her black eyes were sparkling, excitement all over her face. She wore a pink and blue hoodie, with a giant yellow smiley face plastered on it. Knee high socks and light blue shorts were all that covered her legs.

* * *

-Kana Nami Ultimate Cheerleader-

* * *

"Make sure to remember it, or I won't forgive you!" she stuck out her tongue.

"Of course." said Minuki, overwhelmed by her energy. Minuki turned to the next person.

"Hello there." The boy smiled, clutching a book. His black hair was neatly combed, brown eyes warm and inviting. He wore some strange clothing that covered his entire body, all black. "I am Christian Noles."

* * *

-Christian Noles Ultimate Priest-

* * *

He noticed her stares. "Ah, this is the clothing all people part of the clergy wear. It's part of our faith."

"I see..." _I never realized Hope's Peak had so many foreigners..._

"Aye, let's speed this up already. This is taking forever at this rate." A loud voice cut through the air. Minuki watched as some dude in a bright red tracksuit stepped forward. He had a buzz cut, red hair under control. "Akahiro Seigi. We good? Okay, someone else go."

* * *

-Akahiro Seigi Ultimate Racer-

* * *

"No need for this rush." The boy beside Seigi let out a breath. He was wearing a black suit, red tie tucked in. His blonde hair was cropped and short, cloudy grey eyes behind a pair of glasses. It seemed obvious he was a foreigner. Smiling cockily, it was as if he was the most important person in the room. A bag was slung over his shoulder, with some equipment sticking out. He readjusted the bag, then looked at Minuki. "You've probably heard of me already, but whatever. Hank Darabont."

* * *

-Hank Darabont Ultimate Director-

* * *

"I've directed countless hits, though I consider my most recent one my greatest. '_Voice in the Night', _have you seen it?"

Minuki shook her head.

"... A shame." He seemed somewhat upset, but didn't say anymore.

"Into the skies we shall soar!" cried the girl beside Hank. He cringed, covering his ears. The girl raised her arms, throwing back her head. "Before we know it, we shall disappear!" She was wearing some vintage aviator hat, complete with goggles. A single strand of brown hair poked out. Wearing a leather jacket with gloves, she punched forwards, looking towards Minuki. "AMELIA WOODS! AT YOUR SERVICE!"

* * *

-Amelia Woods Ultimate Pilot-

* * *

Minuki blinked. "I think my eardrums just exploded."

"Agreed." The girl that spoke faced Minuki. Her black hair reached her shoulders, brown eyes looking irritated. She wore a simple blue dress, encompassing her entire body. Around her neck hanged an emerald necklace. "I guess it's my turn? My name is Ayuri Hanagi. Nice to meet you." She curtsied.

* * *

-Ayuri Hanagi Ultimate Environmentalist-

* * *

"I've always had a special affinity with nature, so it suits my title would be the Ultimate Environmentalist."

"I am Mai Shiya." A girl stepped forward, arms crossed. Her white hair was braided, two strands falling over her face. Strange inscriptions adorned the frames of her glasses. She wore a grey shirt in addition to her skirt.

* * *

-Mai Shiya Ultimate Historian-

* * *

"Historian." she said, curt and quick.

"Call me Azura Mikumo." The girl beside Shiya took a cursory glance at Minuki, which she returned in kind. Wearing some white lab coat, she stuffed her hands into the pocket. Her short blue hair stuck up in all sorts of weird directions, as if she had just gotten up. Her black eyes shared the same piercing quality that Kakusa's had. She glared at Minuki.

* * *

-Azura Mikumo Ultimate Scientist-

* * *

"Lighten up, babe." A man flashed a smile towards Mikumo. He had long blonde hair, which naturally formed a ponytail hanging over his shoulder. Several rings adorned his fingers as he flicked his hair. He wore a bright purple jacket over a black undershirt, and sleek black pants. _He looks like some freaking rock star..._

Mikumo didn't react at all. The man pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "Oh, you hurt me so." He turned to face Minuki, smiling. "Name's Hayazuki Tai. I do hope you can remember it."

* * *

-Hayazuki Tai Ultimate Lover-

* * *

"Are you a musician?" Minuki asked.

"Me? That would be quite the attractive quality wouldn't it..?" He glanced downwards, chuckling. "No, they refer to me as the Ultimate Lover."

_...Say what?_ "Wait... they consider that a talent...?"

"I am standing before you, no?" He spread his arms, looking at her.

"... I guess."

He turned his head, glancing backwards. "Want me to introduce you?" At that moment Minuki noticed a girl was hiding behind him, gripping his jacket.

"... I'll do it." The girl stepped to the side, away from Tai. Minuki instantly silenced herself, not wanting to insult the girl. Her arms and the right side of her face were covered with burn scars. Countless bandages were wrapped around her head, her violet hair obscuring her right eye. She looked downwards. She was wearing an average female school uniform, yet the ends of her skirt were slightly burned. "I'm... Shiori Shihana."

* * *

-Shiori Shihana Ultimate Survivor-

* * *

"It's nice to meet you." Minuki smiled, trying to be as friendly as possible towards her.

"I am the last one, no?" The final student stepped forward. He wore a top hat and had spiky black hair. A black cape fluttering behind him, attached to his dark blue suit. His blue suit was decorated with stars. In his hand he held a black wand, twirling it like a baton. He closed his blue eyes, then abruptly starting laughing. "I am Overlord Yami, the Lightning Magician!" He snatched a deck of cards out from within his suit, quickly shuffling. "What trick shall I perform today?"

* * *

-Overlord Yami Ultimate Magician-

* * *

Stunned silence filled the room. Minuki awkwardly smiled. "...So what's your real name?"

"What magician gives away his tricks? You'll have to do better than that to draw out my true name!" Yami smirked, throwing his cards in the air. "Vanish!" His cards fell to the floor, nothing happening. Everyone stared at him. "... Hah! You thought I would show you my magic tricks? What magician gives away his tricks?"

"You just said that..." said Hatake, confused.

"What a phony." Kakusa chuckled. "How amusing."

Takashi turned towards Minuki. "With that, everyone has introduced themselves! It's your turn! Make haste with your introductions!"

"Oh. I'm Yumiko Minuki. I was attending Hope's Peak as the Ultimate Strategist. It's a pleasure meeting you all." _... I think._

* * *

-Yumiko Minuki Ultimate Strategist-

* * *

"Now that introductions are over, let us begin discussing our current situation!" Takashi folded his arms, taking charge. "Does anyone know anything?"

"I'm pretty sure everyone here had the same experience... they just woke up in a bedroom." Nathan scratched the back of his head.

"Shit, so none of you remember how you got here? Were we fucking kidnapped by the school for something?" Hatake tightened his grip on his lighter, veins showing.

"Trapped as well. If none of you tried the doors opposite the fireplace, it's locked." Kakusa stroked his chin, thinking. "I hardly believe Hope's Peak would be behind this."

"Hey hey, if it's not Hope's Peak, then who did this?" asked Pearl. "I mean, I'm assuming we've all been to Hope's Peak for a year already, right?" Everyone nodded. "Maybe this is some surprise event they hold after our first year?"

"I wouldn't put it past this school to do something like that." Zaimon inspected the chambers in his revolver. "Though none of you were in my class. Why would they gather students from different classes together? Do we switch classes?"

"It sure is a mystery! But I'm sure we can solve it! TOGETHER, AS ALLIES!" Amelia pumped her arms in the air, hollering.

"... Do you need to scream?" said Shiya. "At least show that you're a little worried with our predicament..."

"SHOWING FEAR IS WEAKNESS!"

"But our situation is quite worrisome if we can't leave." Tai twirled his hair. "Ah, but at least I'm trapped with gorgeous women!"

"Get your priorities straight!" Hanagi gripped her necklace, revolted.

"_zzt... TESTING... one two... one two? TESTING..." _

"What was that?" Minuki looked around for the source of the voice.

"Let me enlighten you." Yami dramatically pointed towards the wall. "There's a speaker on that wall! No need to thank me, though I wouldn't mind."

"... Yeah you're not getting anything." said Minuki.

"_Can you bastards here me? Hellooooooooooooo? WABBA WABBA?"_ The voice cried out. It seemed whimsical, childish almost. It certainly was the last thing Minuki expected to hear in this castle. "_Okay! Welcome to Hope's Peak 2.0! If you could all go through the gates outside and meet up there, I would appreciate it beary much! Don't be late!" _The speaker went silent. A loud creaking noise reverberated throughout the room as the two previously closed doors opened.

"Well, looks like we're no longer trapped inside. Shall we go forth?" Christian asked, watching the rest of them.

"It seems like that voice had answers, why wouldn't we?" Kasumi snickered. One by one, they filed out the room. Minuki was the last to leave, a feeling of dread growing in her stomach.

Something about this, no, everything about this, was not right. But she couldn't tell what, and so followed her new classmates.

* * *

Stepping outside, she blocked the sun from her eyes. The first thing Minuki realized was that she was in some open clearing. As far as she looked, all she saw was green grass, the occasional tree here and there. There seemed to be a mall, but she wasn't sure. At the very edges of her sight, she saw gigantic grey walls, the height of skyscrapers. Directly in front of them was some sort of stage with a podium, 20 chairs in front of it. The sun shone down at them, bathing them in warmth. _I suppose this is where we are supposed to meet up with the voice._

Miyazaki glanced around, looking worried. "Those walls... it looks like we're still trapped." Her eyes seemed to be flickering.

"Mmm, but it looks like we're about to get answers, right?" Nami jumped up and down. "And just breathe in that fresh air! It's G-R-E-A-T compared to that dingy castle!"

"_ATTENTION PLEASE! TO YOUR SEATS!"_

"Everyone! Pick a chair! We're burning daylight!" Takashi grumbled, already sitting down. Soon, the rest of the students were sitting down as well. Minuki looked around. No one was on the podium, who were they supposed to be paying attention to?

Abruptly, a black and white bear jumped out from behind the podium, landing on it. "Hello you bastards! I'm Monokuma, and I'm your headmaster now!"

Nobody said a word for a moment, all taking it in. Then everyone erupted at once.

"What?" "Is that a stuffed toy?" "What the fuck's going on?" "HEADMASTER?"

"It must be some remote controlled machinery..." pondered Kakusa.

"Silence please!" Monokuma raised his crossed paws, forming an X. "Now I'm sure you're _all _wondering, what you're doing here?" Everyone waited with abated breath. "Well, let me get straight to the point! I thought all your lives were so boring and uneventful, I took you all out for a field trip!"

"Field trip... How the fuck did you even bring us all here without us knowing?" Hatake barked, seething. "What kind of bullshit field trip is this?"

"A field trip of mutual killing of course!" The bear patted his stomach, looking satisfied. Minuki felt a chill go through her body.

"M...Mutual killing?" Shihana asked.

"...What the fucking fuck?" stammered Hatake, at a loss for other swears.

"Are you all ready for the high points of your lives? It's time for a field trip of mutual killing!" Monokuma snickered, covering his mouth. "If you haven't realized by now, you're all trapped in here! There's nowhere to go beyond those steel walls! You'll be living the rest of your lives in this fancy castle! How awesome is that?"

"Quite awesome indeed!" Yami laughed. "Who would've thought Hope's Peak would have this amazing trick up their sleeves? I must improve my own tricks!"

"Fool, did you miss the part about mutual killing?" Kakusa stared at Monokuma. "Expand on that."

"Ooh, so scary! Your eyes are piercing through my very being!" Monokuma shivered. "First, let me explain the entirety of your situation! You guys are going to be trapped here for the rest of your lives, so you should learn to enjoy your surroundings!"

"What? I can't sit around, wasting away!" Seigi punched his fists together. "What makes you think you can boss us around?"

"Jeez, teenagers these days just love to interrupt their elders! Boo hoo, what does this show for the hope of the country...? As I was saying, you're all trapped here! However, there is one way to get out. You must graduate!" Monokuma had a mischievous grin, looking on at them.

"And how do we 'graduate'?" asked Minuki, unconsciously dreading what he was going to say.

"You kill someone! Ufufu... No, Upupupu!" Monokuma laughed, a pause between his laughter. "Why do you think this is called the field trip of mutual killing?"

"You want us to kill each other?" Tai growled, clenching his fist.

"What? WE WOULD NEVER KILL EACH OTHER!" shouted Amelia, throwing her arms to her side.

"Upupu? So you're willing to live the rest of your lives stuck in here, trapped?" Amelia opened her mouth, then shut it. "Anyways, If a murder occurs, then we get to the good stuff! The class trials!"

"Class... Trials?" Hank asked.

"Oh, don't worry its simple stuff! In the case of a murder, the remaining students will participate in a class trial! During a trial, it's a battle between the murderer and the innocents! You'll discuss who you think was the murderer, and then vote on it! How exciting, am I right? If you bastards choose correctly, then only the murderer will be punished and the rest of you can continue to enjoy the field trip!" Monokuma leaned forward. "However, if you vote for the wrong person... Then everyone _but _the murderer will be punished, and the murderer will be allowed to leave! And that's the school trial! Get it?"

"Punished...?" Minuki cleared her throat. "What do you mean?"

"Executed. Killed. Slaughtered. Slain. Death!" cheered Monokuma. "And this shall be your life from now on! Stuck here forever, unless you successfully get away with murder! I don't particularly care how you kill either, as long as they're dead! This, is the _field trip of mutual killing!_"

"This... This is _fucking insane!_" Hatake screamed. "You think you can force us to follow your rules?"

"Yeah... this is madness!" Nami sweated, clutching her arms. "You're just a teddy bear!"

"I'm not a teddy bear! I, am Monokuma!" he growled, raising his paws. "And you will abide by these new rules to your life, or face my wrath. Under your seats, you'll find your ElectroID. It'll have your name, and give you all sorts of goodies like the rule book! Make sure to review them!"

"We're not listening to a damn thing you say!" Seigi cracked his knuckles. "You're about to get it, freak! I'm going to find whoever's controlling you and beat the ever living snot out of them!"

"Tch tch tch! Violence against the headmaster is against the rules!" Monokuma leered sinisterly at them. "You do not want to see me angry!"

Seigi threw a punch at Monokuma. Monokuma didn't budge an inch, and the sound of cracking bones was heard.

"Gaah! Fuck!" Seigi withdrew his fist, red and swollen. His fingers were bent at odd angles, sickening Minuki. Not a mark was left on Monokuma.

"I'll let you off with a warning this time... but next time I won't be so lenient!"

"What did you expect?" Kakusa scoffed.

Hanagi covered her mouth. "Is there... anything we can do?"

"What do you mean? If you want out, kill each other!" Monokuma waved at all of them. "That's it for this announcement!"He turned to leave, then stopped. "Oh wait... I knew I was forgetting something! I can't just ask a bunch of kids to kill each other!..."

"Eurgh! Was this some sick joke?" Nami cried.

"Of course! This Monokuma fellow has hoodwinked you all! Only I saw through his lies! You can't fool the eyes of the greatest magician!" Yami chuckled.

"...Without giving you all a motive to kill!" Monokuma finished.

"...What?" Yami started sweating.

Monokuma glanced over them. "If you look through your ElectroID, you'll discover something I think you'll all find very..._intriguing._ Hopefully we start seeing some bodies stack up! Also, don't worry about food! I'll see to that." And with those closing remarks, Monokuma hopped off the podium, disappearing.

The students were left to ponder the bomb that had just been dropped on them.

"Haha... There's no way that bear was serious, right?" Kasumi chuckled.

"It doesn't matter if he was serious." Everyone looked at Mikumo, who hadn't said a word until now. "It only matters... who took his words to heart."

Minuki felt her heart stop. Mikumo was right. She hardly knew any of these students, and they hardly knew a thing about her. How hard would it be to kill a complete stranger? For freedom of this dreadful arena? Could she trust anyone here at all? A million choices flashed into her mind as she tried to determine what to do next.

"We should go over the rules." Tai said. "It would be best not to anger Monokuma..." he grabbed his ElectroID, swiping the screen.

"Good idea." Minuki reached under her chair, grabbing her own. When she booted it up, it displayed her name.

_Hello, Yumiko Minuki. Have a pleasant day!_

Swiping the screen, she read the rules.

**1. The students will live their lives within the walls indefinitely.  
2. The time between 10 pm and 7 am is considered night time. Certain areas are restricted at these times.  
3. You may only sleep within your bedrooms.  
4. You may go where you please as long as you remain within the wall boundary.  
5. No violence against the headmaster, Monokuma, is allowed. Destruction of castle property is also forbidden.  
6. You can graduate if you successfully murder someone. However, no one else must know you did it.  
7. Attendance of Class Trials is mandatory.  
8. Additional rules can be added when necessary.**

"This doesn't seem overly terrible..." Minuki allowed herself to relax. Then she noticed a flashing icon with Monokuma's face. Could this be the motive Monokuma was talking about? She hesitated over it. Did she want to see this? After some thinking, she tapped the icon.

A video started playing. Monokuma's face filled the entire screen, yet there was no sound. Confused, she continued watching.

Monokuma drew back, allowing her to see what was behind the bear. She stifled a gasp.

Tied to a chair, gagged, was the boy from her memories. His pants were ripped, dripping with blood. Gashes covered his legs, still bleeding. His spiky brown hair was drooping downwards, slick with blood. Looking at his face, she noticed his eyes were a haze of confusion and fear. _No..._

She would've easily recognized him even without the sign around his neck, saying 'Natsume Goto'. The video abruptly cut off, the screen filled with words now.

_Something very important to you has been taken away! If you ever want it back, Graduate!_

"Kuh...! What is this?" Zaimon stared at his screen, hands shaking.

"There's no way..." Miyazaki wailed, scraping at some dried paint on her overalls.

"My tricks...! My... legacy..." Yami started foaming at the mouth, nearly falling over.

Hanagi stared at her screen. "This is supposed to be a motive? Why would anyone kill over this?"

"Interesting." Kakusa slid his ElectroID into his pocket. "As if I could be bribed so easily."

"Bribed? What the fuck did he show you?" Hatake stared at Kakusa suspiciously.

"None of your concerns. Though from everyone's varied reactions, I'm assuming each of our given motives appealed to our natures." He paused. "Very interesting."

Takashi stood up, raising his arm. "Everyone! Listen to me!" Kakusa turned his head and left. "Hey you! Don't turn your back on your leader!"

"As if I'm okay with your leadership." Kakusa waved his hand. "I'll be going to my room for the rest of the day."

"Don't you dare walk out on me!" Takashi threatened, but Kakusa had already entered the castle. "That punk... He questions my legendary leadership skills?" He looked over at the remaining students. "I trust all of you aren't planning anything life threatening? Either way, I think it would be for the best if we explored our new environment tomorrow and took our minds off what we just saw! Who knows, we may find a way out!"

"I doubt Monokuma would be so careless if he already went through this much effort." Shiya jeered.

"That kind of thinking is why you're mental capacities are vastly inferior to mine!" Takashi grinned. Shiya gave him a death stare, but he ignored it. "Don't worry! As long as you all follow my leadership, we shall head forth to a golden future! Let us gather here tomorrow to eat, then set off in exploration!"

The remaining students muttered their agreement, before slowly dispersing. Minuki was left alone to her thoughts, a maelstrom of emotions threatening to consume her. She slowed her breathing before she started hyperventilating, then thought through the entire situation in her mind. _We're stuck here... unless we kill someone? And anyone here could be planning murder right now..._ she briefly contemplated killing someone else to escape. _No... I'll be falling into Monokuma's hands. _She cursed at herself. _... I should just rest right now. Tomorrow we'll see if we can find any clues._

Yet she couldn't stop the growing feeling of doubt. She glanced at the dispersing students.

They were all strange in their own ways... and they had all been shown a particular video tailored to them. Something that could convince them to commit murder.

Right now, who could she even trust?

* * *

In the middle of the night, the podium fell over. Leaving a hole in the stage, a strange machine started coming up. It expanded, becoming a TV screen, flickering to life.

_... 30 days left..._

**Rai Zaimon**

**Pearl Taylor**

**Kasami Hatake**

**Hisano Kasumi**

**Akahiro Seigi**

**Shiori Shihana**

**Kinagai Miyazaki**

**Christian Noles**

**Masaki Takashi**

**Azura Mikumo**

**Kaisa Kakusa**

**Mai Shiya**

**Hayazuki Tai**

**Kana Nami**

**Overlord Yami**

**Yumiko Minuki**

**Nathan Dagle**

**Ayuri Hanagi**

**Hank Darabont**

**Amelia Woods**

_... 20 students remain..._


	2. Know Your Place

_Fanfiction's lack of formatting makes me sad._

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Know Your Place**

* * *

_-Ding Dong Ding Dong-_

"This is an announcement from your headmaster, Monokuma. It's another beautiful day! Go out and enjoy the sun you bastards!"

Minuki cracked her eyes open. She was still here, confined to this game. It wasn't some dream, or hallucination. This was all too real. _Of course it was real..._ Yet some part of her had hoped it wasn't. Brushing her teeth and washing her face, she put on her coat and left.

She opened the doors, entering the dining hall. Some of the students had already started eating, while others were nowhere to be seen. Likely still waking up from Monokuma's announcement. She sat down at an empty seat, observing the plates and platters that were now overflowing with a variety of food. Picking out a slice of bread and a banana, she placed them on her plate.

"Morning." Greeted Nathan, sitting down beside Minuki. He placed his plate down, heaping with an assortment of fish. "How was your night?"

"Terrible, considering what just happened." she bluntly said, chewing. She tried to keep a certain distance between them, in case he was planning something. Minuki glanced over his plate. "That's all you're going to eat?"

"Well, I just saw all the different types of fish I _had _to try, and this ended up happening..." He scratched the back of his head. "Hey, fish is just fine!" Minuki covered her mouth, laughing.

"To each their own." Minuki smiled. Nathan returned her smile, but then his face grew serious.

"Say... you think anyone here would actually, y'know?" he leaned in, whispering so only the two of them could here.

"Why would you ask me?" Minuki raised her eyebrows. She couldn't help but feel somewhat suspicious towards this sudden question.

"Oh well, you just seemed relatively normal compared to some of these people, y'know? And there's no way I can just keep to myself, so I thought I needed at least one person to trust..."

"And you chose me?" _The amount of trust you would need to approach someone right now... _Minuki stayed silent for a moment. "Thanks."

"Hey, if you can't trust anyone in your life, then what's the point? That's what my grandfather always used to say." He rubbed his nose, trying to hide his smile.

"Well, to answer your question, I don't even know what to think of half these people." Minuki pointed her fork towards Yami, who was picking up the cards he had scattered yesterday. "Like him. He seems like a harmless oddball, but in these circumstances..."

"...The worst are brought out of people." Nathan grimly nodded. "I see what you mean. I honestly have no idea what to make of him either."

Takashi walked over to them, tapping them both on the shoulder. "You two! Stop your incessant whispering! Everyone has now entered the dining hall. Let us eat, then begin the meeting!"

Everyone sat down, filling their plates up. After they finished eating, Takashi stood up. "We may have been students from different classes, but now we are all classmates if we're to survive this! The first topic of the day: Exploration! Today we shall split up into groups of four, and scour our surroundings! We shall meet back here when the day is over! By that time, I hope each group has found something of use!" He smiled, as if admiring his own plan. Kakusa glared at him, but otherwise said nothing. "Now, I shall divide us up!"

Everyone sat still as Takashi counted heads, numbering each of them. Eventually they were split into five groups of four.

Minuki went to join her group, which consisted of Nathan Dagle, Hank Darabont, Kana Nami and herself. "So, where are we searching?"

"We're going to the other building." Nathan adjusted his hat. "The one way across this castle." He pointed to the mall-like building Minuki had seen the other day.

"Let's hurry, perhaps they have some batteries I can use, or a charger." Hank was inspecting his video camera. "I'm running out of Greencell batteries."

"Oh? I've never heard of that brand before." Nami tilted her head, puzzled.

"They're rechargeable batteries. However, our abductors seemed to have left my charger behind. Surely you've used them before? They have a distinctive green hue." He took out his green batteries, showing Nami.

"...Nope, never seen it." said Nami.

"Neither have I." Nathan added.

"Same." Minuki emphasized.

Hank frowned. "...A shame." This time he was definitely upset, though he tried to hide it. "Whatever... let's go."

* * *

As they got closer to it, Minuki realized it was _definitely _a mall. Giant signs hanged all over it, pointing towards the entrance. Over the entrance a sign read 'Monokuma's Supermarket'. Nami slowly read the sign. "Wow, Monokuma has great taste in naming things."

"Let's just enter." Hank pushed open the door. It didn't budge. "Hm?" He repeatedly pushed the door, yet it didn't move an inch. "I don't see any handles. How else do you open this?"

"Upupu!"

"Aah!" Nami screamed, flinching.

"Aah!" Monokuma screamed, hiding.

"... Why are you hiding?" Minuki asked, looking at Monokuma. Nami attempted to preserve what dignity she had, smoothing out her hoodie.

"Oh! I just thought we were screaming!" he giggled into his paws. "Also, it was beary funny to watch Mr. Serious here try to open the door."

Hank glared at Monokuma.

"Oops, sorry! To enter the mall, you just need to swipe your ElectroID on this scanner!" Monokuma motioned towards a scanner beside the door. "Surely you saw it? Upupu! Have fun at Monokuma's Supermarket! It has all you could need!" And just as suddenly as he had come, Monokuma left.

Hank tried to keep his voice calm, but Minuki could see the anger on his face. "...Let's just go in." They all took turns swiping their ElectroID's, and entered the mall.

The first thing Minuki noticed was just how large this mall was. She couldn't see the ends of it, all the shelves crammed full."What... what is this?'

"Monokuma did say that this place had 'all you could need'... but this is a lot of stuff." Nathan gazed around in wonder. "Look, how many signs there are, pointing out what's in the aisles. There must be hundreds."

"This is sort unnerving, don't you think?" Nami crossed her fingers, anxious. "I don't like this place..."

They walked past countless aisles, taking a peek at what the shelves held. Fireworks, blades, ropes, spatulas, sleds, all sorts of random items were packed onto these shelves. Nathan's eyes lit up, and he ran down one of the aisles.

"Yo! Look at this sucker!" He swung around a fishing rod, with a complicated looking grip. "Holy! You know how expensive this is?" He tightly held the fishing rod, as if it would disappear if he let it go.

Hank ran over to the battery section, desperately searching the shelf. "_Fuck_!" he yelled, finally letting his temper loose. Nami looked at him.

"You okay Hank?'

"... Yeah, I'm sorry for that outburst." He ruffled his hair, letting out a sigh. "Just... I really was hoping they had Greencell batteries..." He closed his eyes. "Don't tell the others this happened, alright?" Minuki and Nami both nodded.

Nathan popped his head out from behind another shelf, carrying all sorts of tackles, baits, and strings."Well that seems about it for this place. Should we go back and report what we found out?" He grinned, looking like a kid on Christmas day.

"Sure, I don't see what else there is to see here." Minuki left towards the door. The rest followed suit.

* * *

Takashi crossed his arms, standing in front of the fireplace in the dining hall. "Reporting in! I shall go first, demonstrating how this works! Pay attention!" Hatake rolled his eyes and mumbled something about a retard, but Minuki couldn't hear the rest of what he said. Zaimon snickered.

"Exploring the castle, we inspected the dining hall and the hallways connected to it! At the end of each hallway were staircases spiralling upwards and downwards. However, I'll let the other groups cover that. In the dining hall, we only found one item of interest." Takashi walked over to the wall, motioning towards a pulley system of sorts, a lever attached to the side. "This pulley system here turned out to be attached to the chandelier hanging over this room! You can see the chains holding up the chandelier here..." He pointed towards the chains attached to the system, which went all the way up to the roof, connected to the chandelier. "For whatever reason, if you were to crank this lever, the chandelier will lower or raise." He demonstrated, lowering the chandelier until it was almost touching the table.

"That seems pointless..." Seigi huffed, left hand stuffed in his tracksuit. Minuki wondered if he had even treated his hand from yesterday after his attempted assault on Monokuma.

"That concludes our investigation! Next!" Takashi looked at the rest of them, waiting for someone to speak.

Hatake punched Zaimon, and after some mumbling, Zaimon stood up. "Guess I'll represent my group." He cleared his throat, then continued. "We investigated the floor beneath this one; I guess you could call it the basement? Pretty clean actually." He started laughing, spinning his gun. "Barrels were stacked everywhere, and when we opened one it just contained water. We assumed the rest of the barrels also contained water. There also was some drain, leading to a sewer system I'm guessing? No one really wanted to go down, so we just left it there. That's it?"

"Why would the entire basement be full of barrels holding the same thing?" Kasumi wondered, tapping her cheek. "Perhaps there's something hidden in one of them?" Her eyes sparkled at the thought.

"You want to go pilfering through all those barrels, be my fucking guest." Hatake snarled. "It's pretty obvious the basement is being used just to store water. You're just gonna be wasting your time."

"Interesting! Next!" Takashi yelled.

Yami got up, but Tai quickly pulled him back. "Let me do the explaining, buddy." He smiled kindly.

"...Fine. I didn't want to reveal anything anyways!" Yami laughed, sitting down. "Good thinking pal!"

"Of course." Tai flipped his hair, playing with a lock of his hair. "We searched the 2nd floor of the castle. Alas, when we tried to go to the 3rd floor..." Tai gripped his chest, as if he had been stabbed. "Monokuma appeared, telling us that the 3rd floor was off limits." Tai closed his eyes. "However, I believe that the 2nd floor is some sort of recreational room. There was an art room, a gym, a kitchen and a gaming room."

"They even had 'Magic 3: The Following'! A great game, no matter the time!" Yami grinned.

"Basically, Lightning Magician here didn't do squat." Shiya sighed. "And that concludes our investigation."

"A-an art room...?" repeated Miyazaki, curious.

"That's what he said! If you cannot remember, take notes! We only have two more groups left! Next!" Takashi watched the remaining students.

Minuki elbowed Nathan. "You go." she hissed.

"What? Why me? Get Hank or Nami to do it!" complained Nathan.

"You know they'll do a terrible job. Also, you ran off to get stuff for yourself."

"Okay..." Nathan got up. "My group inspected the mall across the castle. We discovered that this mall literally contained everything one could think of!" Nathan waved his newly obtained fishing rod around, grinning madly.

"Everything but decent batteries." grumbled Hank. Nami giggled.

"To enter the mall, you have to swipe your ElectroID against a scanner beside the door. Once you enter, you can stay as long as you want, and you don't need to swipe your ElectroID a second time to leave." concluded Nathan, sitting down.

"...That's it?" Hanagi stared at him in disbelief.

"It's a store with a lot of stuff. What else is there to say?" Nathan shrugged.

"I shall conclude this investigation. "Mikumo abruptly said, before Takashi could yell 'Next!'. "We investigated the surrounding fields and walls. The podium on the stage is gone, a TV stand in its place. From what we could tell, it only displayed each of our names and our portrait. Above our portraits, it said 30 days remaining. Not much to be said there. The walls were a different story. We followed the walls, coming to a full circle. Equally distanced along the walls were six iron gates. Monokuma then appeared, telling us going through the gates was forbidden right now and against the rules."

"Gates? That must be the way O-U-T!" Nami cheered.

"Except the bear told us we couldn't go through them..." Seigi rolled his shoulders.

"So? That makes it more likely they're our way out!" argued Nami.

"No point. The gates were shut tight anyways, and we couldn't find a way to raise them." Mikumo added.

"Oh..." Nami slumped.

"This was a satisfactory investigation!" Takashi unfolded his arms, hands now at his waist. "We have discovered possible methods of escape, and gained a better understanding of our environment! Now for the second topic of the day!" He paused. "I think it is imperative that we discuss the contents of the videos we watched yesterday!"

Shihana grabbed her arm, shaking. "...Why should we have to do that?"

Takashi glared at her. "So we can fully trust each other! If we know what each of these videos showed, then we can get over them and live in harmony until our escape! Isn't that obvious?"

Shihana frowned. "I refuse... to tell anyone."

Takashi walked up to her. "Are you perhaps thinking of murder?" he snarled. "_You'll listen to what I say_! Questioning my leadership is suicide!"

"No one even asked for you to be leader... you just started bossing us around..." she muttered, glancing away.

"No one asked because they all realized my natural leadership skills! And you _are telling us what you saw in your video!_"

Takashi shot forward, arms outstretched towards Shihana. Tai quickly intervened, grabbing his arm. Tai's expression, normally cheerful, was dead serious at the moment. "I'd choose my next words very carefully." he whispered, yet it seemed more intimidating than Takashi's yelling.

Takashi's eyes were wild. "Fuck you." he seethed, punching Tai in the face with his free arm.

Tai fell backwards, landing on the floor. He clearly was not expecting Takashi's reaction.

"Hayazuki!" screamed Shihana, running to his side. The rest of the students stood in silence, processing what had just happened.

Tai got up, wiping his face. "I'm okay." he said, dusting himself off. He glared at Takashi. "Too bad I can't say the same for you." He grabbed Takashi by his shoulders, socking him in the stomach with his knees.

"Kuh..!" choked out Takashi, falling over.

"STOOOP!" Amelia screamed, pulling Tai back. He didn't resist, just watching Takashi. Zaimon and Hatake rushed over to pin the leader to the floor as he flailed, trying to get up.

"Get your hands off me! I'll show him... a piece of my fucking mind!" he spat, struggling. Eventually, he realized it was pointless and stopped.

"That was an interesting turn of events." Shiya observed.

"No fucking shit." Hatake swore, helping Takashi to his feet now. "What the hell was that just now?"

Takashi clutched his stomach, still staring daggers at Tai. "They dare... question me..." he pointed a finger at Tai. "Know your place! You're beneath me! My word... is law!"

"A good leader knows humility." Tai said, his voice betraying no emotion.

Zaimon and Hatake grabbed Takashi by his arms before he could run up to Tai. "Nnrgh!" he growled. "This meeting is over!" He shrugged off Zaimon and Hatake, leaving the dining hall.

Nobody knew what to say. Miyazaki poked her fingers together. "Um..."

"What a terrifying ace he had up his sleeve!" Yami grimaced. "Is this his true nature?"

"Hey hey, he seems unstable... is it fine to let him go walk off like that?" Pearl asked, worried.

"Maybe this situation is just getting to him?" Nathan gripped his hat. "I mean, we've been trapped and told to murder each other..."

Kakusa smirked. "He's weak. He can't handle the truth." He looked over the rest of them. "We're trapped. Hammer that through your head. Nothing is going to change that."

"DON'T THINK LIKE THAT!" screamed Amelia. "We must find a way to escape!"

"There is no way." Kakusa rose his head. "Unless you're planning to force those gates open? Have fun with that."

"Then we'll force those gates open! They're definitely the way out!" Nami cried.

"... Tch. What a waste of time." Kakusa left, heading towards the hallways.

Minuki almost forgot what they had been talking about prior to the fight, but then she remembered. "Ah... but what does everyone else think about the videos?"

Shiya scoffed. "Shihana refuses to share hers, and Takashi plus Kakusa have already left. I'm not sharing mine unless everyone is."

"I concur!" yelled Yami, pointing his wand at Shiya. "What magician gives away his tricks?"

"Dude, how many times are you going to say that...?" muttered Hatake, fixing up his mohawk.

"Well, since those two left, I guess we should just go off doing our own things? Though I don't think Takashi is fit to lead us anymore..." Nathan suggested. "We should probably stay in groups of three to five; I think it would be safer that way."

The remaining students left, and Minuki noticed Tai leaving with Shihana. She pulled Nathan over. "Nathan, you think it's strange those two are so close?"

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't everyone agree that we had all come from different classes? And thinking back to it, Shihana was hiding behind Tai when everyone was introducing themselves..."

Nathan shrugged. "Maybe they knew each other before Hope's Peak? I don't know, ask them! I just wanna try out this sweet rod!"

"But there are no lakes or streams or anything around here." Minuki smiled. "Maybe you should go pretend to fish in one of those barrels!"

"Gak!" Nathan went silent. "... I guess I will!"

_...What. _"I was just joki-"

"To the basement!" he shouted, running to the hallway. Minuki hesitated.

_Everyone here is insane... I guess that includes me._ And with that, she ran after Nathan. "Hey! Wait for me!"

* * *

After sitting with Nathan for an hour, discussing fishing techniques, Minuki returned to the dining hall. To her surprise, she found Miyazaki walking in circles, clearly agitated. She was mumbling something, and didn't seem to notice Minuki enter.

"Hey there, Miyazaki." Minuki greeted her, waving.

"Eek!" Her shrill scream filled the dining hall. "O-oh, it's just you Minuki..."

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing..." she stuttered, poking her fingers, glancing downwards.

"You can tell me, Miyazaki." _As long as it's not murder._

"... I guess..." she looked at Minuki. "I was excited about the art room, but when I went up to go... Kakusa was already inside, doing something. I didn't want to disturb him..." Miyazaki frowned. "But I _really _want to enter..."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you entered. Look, I'll go up with you, okay?"

"Really?" she seemed shocked by Minuki's offer. "That would be nice..." They entered the hallways, walking towards one of the spiral staircases. "He's pretty scary, don't you think?"

"Who? Kakusa?"

"Yeah... I mean, where do you think he got that scar across his face?" Her eyes glazed over. "It's like a blemish on his body... disgusting." Minuki stared at her. "Oh, sorry... I didn't mean to say that aloud." Miyazaki trembled.

"It's fine..." laughed off Minuki. "I just didn't expect that from you."

"Lots of people consider me a surprise..." she started scratching at her overalls. "It's just... I like to believe in perfection. Perfection in all forms. I know humans aren't perfect... but at least they can look perfect." She grimaced. "Unless you have a giant cut across your face... then you're a flawed piece of work."

"That's an... interesting way of looking at things."

"...Sorry if I creep you out. I don't talk very often..." They walked the rest of the way in silence, Minuki not knowing what to say to that. _That was awkward..._

"Oh! This should be the art room right?" Minuki stopped in front of 'Monokuma's Gallery'. She carefully opened the door, peeking inside.

Kaisa Kakusa stood at a table, kneading some clay. Countless empty tables surrounded him, each with different items on them. In the far corner of the room Minuki noticed an electric kiln, the kind designed for school use. Kakusa glanced up, noticing the two of them. Sighing, he wiped his hands on his apron. "Who are you two again?"

"Um, I'm Yumiko Minuki, and this is-"

"No no, not your names. I could care less about that." He clapped his hands together. "I meant your talents?"

_Screw this guy._ "Well, I'm the Ultimate Strategist. This is Miyazaki, she's the Ultimate Painte-"

"Painter?" Kakusa cut her off again. Minuki gritted her teeth. "Why didn't you say so?" He held his arms out, smiling. "Miyazaki, was it? I'm always interested in a fellow artist's work."

"O-oh!" Miyazaki exclaimed, surprised by the sudden 180 flip of his personality. "Really?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I wouldn't be in the arts myself if I wasn't interested in all aspects of it. Could I see you paint something for me? I'm sure there are some paintbrushes here..." He shuffled through some cabinets, looking for them. "Oh, while I'm at it, could the other girl please leave?"

_Huh? _"Me?" Minuki asked, pointing at herself.

"No, I'm talking to the invisible girl. Yes you. A strategist isn't really fit for the arts, and I'd rather not have someone watching who couldn't even appreciate what they were seeing."

Miyazaki looked between the two, torn. "Um..."

Minuki held her hands in protest. "No no, it's okay! Just have some fun Miyazaki. I was going to my room afterwards anyways." She hastily left the room, slamming the door. She clenched her fists. _I hate that guy's guts so much..._

* * *

"Can you believe him!" cried Minuki, pacing back and forth. "He's just like Takashi! They think they're gods or something, above everyone else!"

Nathan peeked into a barrel. "I sort of had him pegged for that type already, though I'm surprised he showed such an interest in Miyazaki."

"Just cause her talent is related to arts, he likes her? What kind of..." Minuki strangled the air. "Ugh, I just had to get that off my chest. Sorry."

"No problem. Like my grandfather always used to say, 'Better to say something and feel good, than to stay silent and regret!" Nathan rolled the barrel away, moving to the next one.

"What are you doing anyways? Didn't they say all the barrels contained water?"

"They _assumed!_ Who knows, maybe we'll find something!" Nathan smiled, peeking into another barrel. Minuki put her hands on her head.

"You act just like a kid, you know?"

"A _happy _kid!" Nathan grunted, moving to the next barrel in line. Minuki glanced around.

"You know there's no way you're ever gonna be able to check all these, right?"

"It's the effort that counts! I have a feeling that this one will be the one!" Nathan peeked into a barrel.

"...Well?"

He covered it. "More water. But hey, that's one less barrel to check!" He rolled it away. "Want to help me?"

"I already went pretend fishing with you, I think I'm good." chuckled Minuki.

"Your choice, you don't know what you're missing out on!" They shared a laugh. Minuki smiled, glad that she could relax with someone given their circumstances.

They heard someone stomping down the stairs, then skidding to a halt. Minuki turned her head to see Amelia, gasping for breath. The first thing she noticed was how distraught Amelia looked. "What is it?' She felt a growing fear in her stomach. _Had someone already been...?_

She took another breath, then yelled. "QUICK! They're about to do something SUICIDAL!"

"What?" Nathan put the barrel he was inspecting to the side, a troubled look on his face. "What do you mean?'

"... The other kids found one of the gates open! And now they're debating if they should go through!" She shouted as quickly as possible.

"_What? _That is suicidal! That's against the rules! Lead us!" Amelia was already running back up the stairs. Nathan nodded at Minuki. "We need to get there as fast as we can." The two of them ran after Amelia, closely following her.

* * *

The sun was setting as the trio ran across the fields, to one of the gates Mikumo had described. Unlike the other gates, this one was raised, allowing entrance to the other side. The other students had already gathered around it, discussing.

"This is our way out!" "Are you insane? You don't even know where that goes!" "We should wait for Amelia to get the rest..."

"I HAVE RETURNED!" Amelia wheezed, bending over for breath. Nathan stopped, observing the group.

"Have you all gone _mad?_ What do you think will happen if you break the rules here?" He bellowed.

"I think that's why we're discussing what to do." Christian chimed, clutching his book. "If only we could receive some sort of sign on what to do next..."

"Prayers aren't going to help here kiddo. What you need is guts." Zaimon said, gun in his holster. He grimaced. "And do any of us have the guts to even attempt this?"

"But what can Monokuma even do?" Hatake flicked his lighter nervously.

"He's been appearing at our locations instantly. He probably has something in place as well if someone breaks his rules." noted Shiya, pushing up her glasses.

"This... this blows..." Seigi mumbled. "I just want to get the fuck out of here!"

"We're leaving right N-O-W!" yelled Nami, silencing all of them. "Don't tell me you guys are too scared to do this! We couldn't leave because the gates were closed before, but now it's open!"

Takashi stood away from the group, arms crossed. "...Think rationally about this."

"I _am!_ I'm leaving while the rest of you can stay here, playing his game!" Nami turned her back to the rest of them, walking towards the gate. Objections erupted from the group.

"Wait, don't go!" "It's dangerous!" "You are definitely insane!"

Nami ignored their pleas, marching forward to the gate. She reached it, stopping to take a breath. "I'm going through!" She broke out into a sprint.

The moment she reached the gate, she tripped. "Yeargh!" She looked to her feet, realizing she tripped over a block of metal that had risen from the ground. Above her, another piece of metal fell down, clamping her legs. She struggled, but she couldn't free her legs. A voice crackled through the air.

"_Bzzt... Zzt... Even after I warned you! I toooold you going through the gates was not allowed! What am I to do with a rule breaker like you?" _An ominous silence followed. Nami squirmed, trying to get out. "_You have disrupted the peace of this bee-yoo-tee-ful land! There's only one thing fitting for you..." _Nami started sweating, pure terror in her eyes.

"Fuck! Shouldn't we do something?" Seigi ran forward, ignoring the pleas of his new classmates to not interfere.

"You'll just die as well!" Takashi screeched. "Do you want to throw your life away?"

"_...death._"

-_SPLUT-_

Seigi froze. The gate fell down on the still trapped Nami, splitting her in two. Only her legs could be seen, the rest of her body somewhere behind the gate. Blood sprayed everywhere, painting the grass. Seigi fell to his knees, hands to his mouth. He started retching, throwing up on the ground.

Dead silence followed. _How does someone even react to this...?_ Minuki could only gaze in horror at what used to be Kana Nami. Just a moment ago, she was talking, walking, living. And now...

"...Is this some illusion? Another magic trick?" muttered Yami, bending his wand. "This... this can't be real... right? _This isn't reality!_" Yami dropped his wand, clutching his head, tears streaming down his face.

"She... _She just died!_" Pearl took a step backwards. "Someone's dead!"

Shihana quietly looked at the fountain of blood, giggling. "Kehehe..."

"What... _the fucking fuckity fuck!?"_ Swore Hatake in rapid succession, panic all over his face.

Zaimon tipped his hat, trying to ignore the growing pool of blood. "..."

Amelia cowered in fear. "PLANE DOWN, PLANE DOWN!"

Monokuma popped out of nowhere, laughing. "Upupu! What's this? I guess she's half the person she used to be..." He started cackling again. "Too soon?"

"She's... she's..." stammered Miyazaki, at an utter loss for words.

"This was a trap, wasn't it?" Mikumo asked, still composed.

"Trap? I _hate _traps! Getting stuck in one is just the most awful feeling! It's un_bear_able!" Monokuma started cracking up. "But what was I supposed to do? I had to enforce the rules I set up, didn't I? And this isn't an entire waste of human life!" He threw out his paws, claws coming out. "Now you know that I'm dead serious. Obey the rules, or end up like her..."

"You left the gate open, didn't you? Hoping for someone to make an example of..." Mikumo questioned Monokuma. He gulped.

"I don't know what you're talking about!' He leapt up, paws raised. "Wasn't it you bastards who sat here arguing? Perhaps if you all had better control of your emotions, things would be going better!" He sneaked a glance at Tai and Takashi, who both refused to look at each other.

Kakusa turned away from the body. "You've made your point. Why come here to tell us when you could talk over the speakers?" The sculptor didn't even seem fazed by the death.

"I was getting to that!" snarled the bear. "I just thought I'd let you all in on some more information!"

Hanagi gripped her necklace. "Don't tell me it's another video..."

"What? You think I'm that uncreative? Please! I just wished to share some good stuff about certain people here."

Takashi scowled. "What?"

"It's been a day, and I don't see any bodies!" Monokuma waved at Nami's body. "That doesn't count. I just thought I should warn you all! Your headmaster is _very _worried for your health!"

"You're the one keeping us trapped!" Hank yelled angrily.

"If you're planning murder, you should hurry your plans!" Monokuma grinned evilly. "It wouldn't do for you to die now... especially with someone who's killed before here."

"What?" Christian paled. "Are you saying...?"

"That's right!" Monokuma cackled. "Amongst the remaining 19 of you, someone has already killed before. They've experienced the thrill of murder, the feeling of taking someone's life firsthand. If you don't hurry up, you might find yourself dead. That would be a shame, wouldn't it? Dying here, each and every one of your dreams unaccomplished..."

Everyone stared in horror. How could everything go so wrong in two days? _And someone here has killed before...?_

Nathan stepped forward. "We have no way of knowing if he's telling the truth!" he shouted. "He's trying to undermine us!"

"Oh? It's your choice if you want to believe me..." snickered Monokuma. "But would you bet your life on it?" He let out one final laughter, then disappeared.

Seigi wiped his mouth, standing up. His red eyes were blazing, a look of determination on his face. "I'm not dying in this shithole." He uttered. "I haven't achieved my goals..."

For once, Takashi was not yelling. He stood there in silence, as if mulling over the words Monokuma had just said. Kasumi was trembling, her eyes darting to each of them.

Minuki could still hear Shihana's giggling, growing louder by the second. Tai looked at her, worried. Suddenly, she completely burst. "_Kehahahahahaaaa!_" She gripped her face, clutching her forehead. "Oh, this is perfect!" she tittered, eyes of a wild dog. "I can't wait! This is the real deal!"

"Shiori, watch yourself!" hissed Tai.

"What's she going on about? Has she gone crazy?" Kasumi shrieked. "Is she going to kill someone now?"

"No, of course not!" snapped Tai, gently holding Shihana. She was still laughing, hyperventilating. Her entire body shook. "Calm down Shiori... calm down..." Shihana's breathing slowed as her laughter died out. She closed her eyes, and would've fallen if Tai didn't catch her.

Minuki gazed at the two of them. "I think we need an explanation." _Big time._

Tai scowled. "There's nothing that needs explaining, babe. This has been a crazy night for all of us, everyone's just... strained."

"Was she possessed by malicious spirits?" Christian hid behind his book, cowering. "We must purify her!"

"Don't touch her!" Tai held onto Shihana defensively.

_-Ding Dong Ding Dong-_

"This is an announcement from your headmaster, Monokuma. It's the end of a beautiful day! Sleep tight you bastards!"

Tai picked up Shihana, gently holding her. "I'm going to go drop her off in her room." He stormed off, not bothering to hear what they had to say.

Hatake awkwardly laughed. "This day... This _entire _fucking day..."

Hank's eyes were closed in thought. "You don't think... she's the person that's killed before?"

"She did yell something... about how she couldn't wait..." Miyazaki mentioned, nervous.

Pearl fell to her knees. "I can't take this anymore... not without going insane..."

Zaimon had taken out his revolver, spinning it in his hand. "Isn't it strange? How close they are, you think they've been together their entire lives." _Hey, someone voicing my opinion._ Yet Minuki stayed silent, watching.

"Maybe they have?" Shiya commented. "We don't know a thing about each other. Everyone's histories, pasts, experiences... are all a mystery." She made a pointed glance at Takashi, who once again ignored her.

"Well, it's night time. Shouldn't we all go back to our rooms?" Mikumo asked, heading back to the castle.

"Wait!"

Mikumo stopped, gazing back. Christian clutched the book he always carried across his chest, panicking. He spoke again. "Shouldn't we bury the body?.. And hold a funeral?"

Kakusa started laughing, slapping his legs. Christian flinched.

Kakusa gave Christian a small smile, eyes calm and collected. "You have fun with that." he said, leaving.

Hanagi gave Christian a look of pity. "I don't think we can hold a proper burial without her entire body." She patted him on the shoulder.

"I guess..." Eyes downcast, he trudged away. Everyone else scattered, turning in for the night. Minuki glanced at their backs as they all returned to the castle.

She didn't know about them, but she knew that she wasn't getting any sleep tonight.

* * *

The TV hummed, its screen flickering. Flashing white, Kana Nami's portrait dulled, the colour draining from it. A line appeared over her name, crossing it out.

_... 29 days left..._

**Rai Zaimon**

**Pearl Taylor**

**Kasami Hatake**

**Hisano Kasumi**

**Akahiro Seigi**

**Shiori Shihana**

**Kinagai Miyazaki**

**Christian Noles**

**Masaki Takashi**

**Azura Mikumo**

**Kaisa Kakusa**

**Mai Shiya**

**Hayazuki Tai**

_Kana Nami_

**Overlord Yami**

**Yumiko Minuki**

**Nathan Dagle**

**Ayuri Hanagi**

**Hank Darabont**

**Amelia Woods**

_... 19 students remain..._


	3. Silence of Night

_Yay, there's a little something at the end! Not sure if it'll stay, but enjoy it while it's here~!_

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Silence of Night**

* * *

_-Ding Dong Ding Dong-_

"This is an announcement from your headmaster, Monokuma. It's another beautiful day! Go out and enjoy the sun you bastards!"

Minuki lay in her bed, staring at the cover of her canopy bed. She didn't want to think about what had happened yesterday, she didn't feel like moving. She felt sick. After a couple of minutes, she got up, sighing. She couldn't stay in bed all day.

That's when she noticed the chessboard on her desk. _What's this? _She walked over to it, examining it. Pieces were placed on the board, as if someone was in the middle of a game before suddenly leaving. She clutched the Queen piece, observing it. _No..._ She grabbed the chess board, scattering the pieces over the floor. Flipping it over, she saw the words she dreaded, written on the underside of the board.

_To Yumiko Minuki_

She dropped the board. This was her present she had received from Natsume Goto, all those years back. And she instantly thought of the video, his body battered and bleeding. Kicking the board to the corner of her room, she put on her coat. _This is just Monokuma trying to drive us to murder..._ Yet she couldn't deny its effectiveness. She was rattled, and desperately wanted out of this prison. But how? Monokuma had already made his point. Should she kill someone...

_...No. What am I thinking? I'm not going to kill anyone._ She shook her at that moment, she promised herself she wouldn't submit to Monokuma. If she was to die, she would die defying his game. Her resolve found, Minuki walked to the dining hall.

* * *

"Before we begin today, I think there's something we need to discuss." Nathan said, getting everyone's attention.

"What is it?" Kasumi asked, flicking her ear.

"I don't think it's a wise idea to allow one person to make decisions for our entire group, given Takashi's... _outburst _yesterday." Nathan chose his words carefully, keeping his eye on Takashi. "I was thinking maybe, we need a council? More opinions can lead to smarter decisions."

Takashi was slumped over his plate, elbows on the table. "... I don't care anymore. Do whatever you want." He got up, not finishing what was on his plate. Marching off to his room, the rest of them watched him.

"Shouldn't someone make sure he's alright...?" Pearl glanced at the rest of them. "Make sure he doesn't snap again?"

"If you want to, go ahead." Seigi carried a helmet under his arm, one Minuki didn't recall seeing before. "I think the rest of us have more pressing concerns." Pearl frowned, but remained seated.

"You didn't get that helmet from the mall did you?" questioned Nathan.

"No, I found it in my room this morning. What worries me is how Monokuma got his fucking hands on it." Seigi frowned.

"I also had an item on my desk this morning." Minuki raised her hands. "It seems obvious that these items Monokuma left behind are related to the motives he has given us."

"When will that fuckwad Monokuma know to quit?" groaned Hatake. She noticed that he was now wearing black goggles. _Was that the item he found...?_

Shiya faked a cough, drawing everyone's attention. "If we aren't sharing our videos, there's no point to discussing about these items. Let's get back on track."

"I guess..." Hank folded his arms. "Who'd even want to be on this council? Seems like a lot of responsibility."

"Is that all we're going to be discussing? A council amongst us, when we can't even trust each other? I have better things to do." Kakusa stood up, leaving.

"Why are we even holding group discussions if people just keep getting up and leaving..." Hanagi sighed, poking at her food. "Tai and Shihana aren't even here..."

"If we're talking about them, there's definitely something up with those two. I don't trust them." Hatake growled.

"They are partners in crimes! Every magician needs an assistant!" Yami shouted, laughing. _At least he seems to be recovering okay from yesterday's events..._

"Tai doesn't seem that dangerous, though Shihana is a different story." said Shiya. "Regardless, we should keep an eye on those two."

"But... but..." whimpered Miyazaki. "They just know each other..."

"Missy, did you _not _see Shihana's little, ah, outburst yesterday? Seemed rather unstable to me." Zaimon said with a hint of panic. "I agree, we need to watch ourselves around those two. They're obviously hiding something from us."

Amelia frowned. "Is this the right thing to do? Our little group here is already strained enough, and now we're doing things behind their backs? I DON'T LIKE THIS!"

"We have no choice if they don't wish to become a part of this group." Mikumo abruptly said. Minuki turned to look at Mikumo, sitting at the end of the table. Minuki had almost forgotten that she was there, seeing as how she's hardly spoken a word. "I also have another suggestion before we leave to our separate tasks."

"What is it?" asked Nathan.

"While I agree with Shiya that there is no point discussing the items we have received," she paused, pulling out a... doll? Minuki blinked. _Okay, I did not expect that._ "If they are supposed to further push us to commit murder when combined with the videos we saw, wouldn't it be wiser to leave the items here?"

"You mean... here at this table?" Nathan stroked his chin. "How would that change anything...?"

"On the surface these seem like important items from our lives. However, we don't know if Monokuma adjusted them or did anything to them. Perhaps there's a second message hidden somewhere to convince us to murder someone. Perhaps there's a special meaning only the receiver would be able to understand. It would be better if we just left them here." She tossed her doll onto the table, and it hit the table with a squeaking noise.

"That's a bit farfetched, don't you think..?" muttered Seigi, running his fingers through his hair.

"But you can't deny the possibility. We don't understand Monokuma at all. And the dining hall is in the dead center of the castle, so the items would be under constant vigilance..." Nathan sighed. He reached into his pockets and threw a pocket knife onto the table.

"Yo, what the fuck? Monokuma straight up gave you a weapon?" Hatake glared at Nathan. "He didn't give that to you because you were thinking of..."

"Of course not!" stammered Nathan. "Man, why would you say that! Have a little trust in me..."

"Tch." Hatake grunted. He took off his goggles and threw them in the growing pile. One by one, everyone piled the item they got onto the table.

Minuki realized her chessboard was still scattered all over her room. "Ah, I need to go to my room and get mine. Be right back." She walked to her room, opening the door. Staring at the mess she created, she groaned before picking up the chessboard. She glanced at the chess pieces. _I don't think I need to bring those..._ Clutching the chess board, she walked back to the dining hall, placing it on the pile they had formed.

Nathan looked over the pile, then nodded. "Minuki, we were in the middle of discussing who would be in this 'council', if we were to make one."

"Oh, who do we have so far?"

"Well, we decided on four people, two boys and two girls. For the boy's side it ended up with me and Takashi..." Nathan scratched his head. "We ended up giving him a slot anyways, didn't think he would react well not being in a leadership position. As for the girls, we were discussing if you and Shiya would be interested?"

"I'm fine with it." said Shiya.

"Me?" Minuki looked at Nathan. "Wouldn't Mikumo be better?"

"No thank you, I'd rather not." replied Mikumo. "Anyways, you _are _the Ultimate Strategist. Seems like something useful. In addition, Nathan was rather adamant about including you in the council."

Nathan coughed. "I wasn't adamant... I was just... suggesting, you know? Anyways, you interested Minuki? No one's going to force you."

Minuki looked at him. "...I guess." she eventually sighed. _What did I get myself into?_

"Great!" A wide grin broke out on Nathan's face. "Well, if that's all, someone should inform Takashi and get the missing kids to bring their items here. Guess this is the end of the meeting!"

* * *

Minuki went upstairs to the 2nd floor, somewhat curious about the gaming room. After all, she loved strategy games. She opened the door, looking inside.

"_Aha!_ You have fallen to my spells, evildoer! Cower in fear of my lightning bolts!" She heard an eccentric voice cry. She saw Yami cheering, with an angry looking Hatake beside him. They were lying on a couch, Zaimon sitting in a table behind them. In front of the two was a video game console plugged into a TV attached to the wall. Behind the table Zaimon was sitting in, Minuki could see a pool table and numerous other tables with stacks of cards on them.

"Fucking hell! I can't stand this anymore!" Hatake threw his controller onto the ground. Zaimon slapped the table, trying to hide his laughter. "Damnit Zaimon, stop laughing at me! I'm not retarded! You come here and play with Yami!"

"Surrendering so quickly?" snickered Yami. "Whatever! Zaimon, get over here, let's fight!"

"Sure, sure." Zaimon chuckled, getting up. At that moment he noticed Minuki. "Oh, howdy. Didn't see you there."

"Huh?" Hatake turned around. "Oh, it's you."

Minuki frowned. _What kind of reaction was that..._ "Hey, I just came here to take a look at the games. Having fun?"

"They have a huge library of games here! It's amazing!" Yami grinned. "And it helps take our minds off things..." Minuki cringed. No one wanted to think of what happened last night.

"Unfortunately, there's only one console here. You want to play?" Zaimon offered her his controller.

"I'm okay with watching. I just wanted to look at the games they have." Minuki noticed a fridge. "There's a fridge in here?"

"Oh yeah, that contains a whole bunch of pop and sodas and all sorts of good stuff." Hatake opened the fridge, rummaging through it. "Want something to drink?"

"Nah, I'm good." she said, sitting down at a table. Hatake shrugged, grabbing a drink before sitting beside her. She watched Zaimon and Yami play some fighting game, which disappointed her. She didn't like those types of games.

Hatake brought out his lighter, flicking it. "Didn't think anyone else would come in here, especially you of all people. Though I guess it makes sense in hindsight, strategy and all." He glanced at Zaimon and Yami, who were screaming at the screen. "Well I don't want to sit here in dead silence, and I hardly know shit about you. Wanna talk?"

_Well, this is a better chance than any to get to know more about him. _"Sure, what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't fucking know! Lemme think..." He covered his ears, blocking out Yami and Zaimon's cheers. "I can't think at all with background noise." He closed his eyes. After a second or so, he uncovered his ears. "What about what you like to do in your free time?"

"Me?" Minuki stopped to think. "Well, I like to play tennis in my free time? I usually study and finish homework though. I don't do anything particularly interesting. What about you?"

"I think it's pretty self-explanatory. I usually like to burn things, watching the fire turn everything into ashes..." Mesmerized, he stared at the flickering flame his lighter was producing. "People thought I was creepy as hell. Heh, they were probably right." He stuffed his lighter back into his pocket.

"That's rather... boring? Did your free time only consist of burning stuff?" asked Minuki, disappointed. _I mean, WOW! Who would've guessed the Ultimate Pyromaniac enjoys fires? Not me!_

"Not burning stuff." he snarled. "Making fires. Fire is my life, it's something you'll never understand..." He glanced away. "It changed everything."

Minuki looked at him in surprise. "Fire... is your life?"

Zaimon suddenly ran towards them, slamming the table. "Damnit!" he shouted. "Hatake, avenge me!"

"Haha! Who's next?" Yami cried from the couch. "Unless you're all too scared to fight me?"

Hatake instantly got up. "What did you say you little fucker? _Let's go!_" He hopped onto the couch, grabbing the controller. Zaimon laughed, sitting down. Minuki was still thinking about what Hatake had just said. _Fire is his life?_ She shook her head. No point in thinking about it, she wasn't going to get any answers with Hatake playing games. She turned to Zaimon, smiling.

"You ever play pool before?"

* * *

Minuki trudged down the steps, her ego taken down a notch. Zaimon had thoroughly stomped her in every game they had played, until she decided enough was enough. She sighed, frustrated. _That sucked. Gah, I'm going to wreck him next time!_

_-Ding Dong Ding Dong-_

"This is an announcement from your headmaster, Monokuma. It's the end of a beautiful day! Sleep tight you bastards!"

Minuki looked around. Did she end up playing games the entire day? _Tch, I must've lost track of the time._ Her stomach rumbled, having not eaten any food since their morning meeting. _I wonder if the dining hall is still open during Night Time..._

She pushed open the doors, slightly surprised that the dining hall was in fact open. Even more surprising was Tai eating, Shihana sitting beside him. _This is going to be awkward._

"Hey there." she said, walking towards them, smiling. Tai instantly looked up, watching her with wary eyes. "I just came for some food." She sat down near them, piling her plate.

Tai slowly looked back to his plate. Shihana didn't say a single word, eating. They all ate in silence for a few minutes, Minuki thinking of what to say.

"If it isn't obvious, we knew each other before this game." Tai abruptly said. Surprised that Tai had started the conversation, Minuki took her eyes off her plate. He continued. "You don't seem like a terrible person, if you're wondering why I'm telling you this. We weren't in the same class during Hope's Peak, but we knew each other before Hope's Peak."

Shihana's eyes widened. "Hayazuki..." A hint of warning was in her voice.

"Don't worry, I'm not about to spill out my life story." He grinned. "In fact, I'm probably just confirming what she's already figured out." Tai emptied his plate. "But tell the others this. If anyone else is even thinking of laying a hand on Shiori, they'll have to see through me first." He finished, a threatening look in his eye.

"Of course." Minuki said aloud, but she couldn't help but think of Shihana's reaction yesterday. That maniacal laughter was definitely not normal, though she probably wouldn't get anywhere questioning Tai further. "Oh, you weren't here this morning, but do you see all the stuff piled there?" She pointed towards the pile in the middle of the table they made.

"Oh yeah, I was wondering what that was." Tai played with a lock of his hair, winking at Minuki. "Want to explain to me, babe?" he smiled. Shihana grumbled something, but Minuki couldn't make it out.

"I'm assuming each of you woke up this morning with something important to you in your room? We ended up agreeing that if we weren't sharing our video, these items may be pushing us to murder as well and decided on leaving them here."

"Is that so?" Tai thought for a moment. "Well, I guess I've already irritated the group enough. I'll comply." He took off one of the rings he wore, placing it gently beside the pile. "You too, Shiori."

"Wh-what? Why do I have to do it as well... Fine." muttered Shihana, after Tai glared at her. She reached around her neck, taking off a necklace that was obscured by her hair. She placed it beside Tai's ring. "Are you happy?" she asked, glaring at Minuki.

"Wasn't my idea. Also we've decided that one person leading us isn't the best thing, so we're having a council of four people working together to make decisions. Hopefully that's okay with you two."

"I'm fine with that. Is that all?" Tai asked.

"That's about it. You should probably come here in the mornings though." Minuki added.

"Of course. I just had to make sure she was okay." Tai pointed to Shihana, who stuck out her tongue at him.

_She seemed fine right now, but who knows? _Minuki decided she would tell Nathan about this... interesting change. "Well, I'm done. Have a good night."

"You too. Thanks for filling us in!" Tai grabbed a pear from Shihana's hand, biting into it. Minuki got up and left as the two started arguing playfully. Entering the hallways, she was greeted by the creeping figure of Christian Noles. _This day is just full of surprises._

"Christian? What are you-" Christian quickly grabbed Minuki, closing the door to the dining hall.

"Shhh! You'll alert them!" he whispered.

"Tai and Shihana?" asked Minuki, confused. "Wait, are you spying on them?"

"I would never! I'm just making sure Shihana is okay!" He started shivering. "You can't ignore her outburst yesterday, it's surely the work of spirits!"

Minuki stared at Christian. "I'm sure it's not the work of spirits Christian. You really should go get some rest, it's sort of weird seeing you hiding out in the hallways." She immediately regretted saying that when she saw the hurt expression on his face.

"S-sorry, I was just worried... I'll go back to my room then. Good night Minuki." He murmured sadly. He dragged his feet down the hallway. She sighed, then quickly returned to her own room.

* * *

_-Ding Dong Ding Dong-_

"This is an announcement from your headmaster, Monokuma. It's another beautiful day! Go out and enjoy the sun you bastards!"

Entering the dining hall, Minuki heard bickering and arguing. She saw Takashi, Nathan, Seigi and Hank yelling at each other while Kakusa stood to the side. Snippets of their argument caught her attention.

"-Where the fuck-" "-That was my-" "-We don't know what-" "-Calm down-"

"What's going on?" Minuki asked, barging between them all. Nathan sighed in relief when he saw her.

"Guess Mikumo's plan backfired. Some of the items were stolen last night." he explained to her. "Seigi's helmet and Kakusa's miniature sculpture were taken from the pile, while someone took the batteries from Hank's video camera."

"My Greencell batteries! I can't replace those! Where did they go!?" Fumed Hank, stomping the ground.

"And my helmet? When I placed my helmet in the pile, I didn't think I was _never _going to get it back!" Seigi shouted.

"Enough!" yelled Takashi. "As one of your representing council leaders, we will hold a discussion once everyone is here and breakfast is eaten! Until then, sit down!" Hank and Seigi complied, grumbling. Kakusa also went to his seat, though he was smirking.

"Have we checked with Kasumi yet? She is the resident thief here." asked Minuki.

"No, I already asked her and she said she didn't touch anything. That is, if you trust her words." Frowned Nathan. "This isn't good. This is the exact opposite of what we wanted. Now these people will be doubting each other, wondering who the thief is."

"Well, we'll discuss it when everyone is here. Also, what's up with Takashi? He looks like his old cocky self."

"Beats me." Nathan shrugged like he always did. "I heard Pearl went to go talk with him after yesterday's meeting, but I don't know exactly what happened." Nathan motioned for her to sit down, smiling. "Looks like everyone's here now. C'mon, let's eat. Like my grandfather always used to say, you can't work on an empty stomach!"

Minuki smiled back, and everyone ate breakfast. After everyone was done eating, Takashi stood up. He looked over the students, carefully watching each of them. "It has been brought to my-" he paused. "to the _council's _attention that among us there is a thief!"

Kasumi rolled her eyes. "Didn't we go through this two days ago? When we introduced ourselves?"

Takashi's eyes narrowed. "You know what I mean. Nathan questioned you this morning! Some items from the pile have gone missing! To be exact, Kakusa's, Hank's and Seigi's respective items have been taken."

"Why would someone steal that though? It's not even their item!" asked Pearl, confused.

"Perhaps they've already discovered something about them that we haven't?' suggested Shiya.

"Are you supporting Mikumo's theory about a hidden message or weapon?" Minuki questioned.

"I'm not supporting it per se, but it's certainly likely." she replied, adjusting her glasses. "And the only reason I can think of someone doing this is if they intend to murder someone." Everyone went silent.

Pearl was the first to break the silence. "Hey hey, you aren't really suggesting someone here is gonna kill, right?"

"What if I am?" Shiya crossed her arms and glared at Pearl, as if daring her to prove her wrong.

"That's not funny." Hatake snarled.

"I don't believe anyone here is planning on committing a sin." Assured Christian.

"Also, how the hell would my batteries help them? Fuck, my Greencells..." Hank trailed off, face sullen.

"We don't know the exact reason why they stole the items, that's why we're discussing it." Kakusa said. "We don't even know if there is a hidden message, or what that message is. This is all conjecture."

"I... I agree." Miyazaki stuttered, clutching her beret. Kakusa's grinned.

"See? Someone agrees. End of discussion."

"Hold it buddy." Zaimon pointed his gun at Kakusa. "How do we know you're not the thief?"

"As if I would need some dingy helmet and second rate batteries. I must also say that while I do enjoy my own works, I don't feel the need to take my own sculptures." Kakusa smirked. "Are you trying to shift the blame on me?"

"What?" Yami got up, slamming his hands on the table. "Zaimon wouldn't steal a thing! I would've seen through his treachery a mile away with my 'Eyes of True Sight'!" Yami waved his wand around, grinning.

"... I hardly think that counts for anything." scoffed Kakusa.

"Anyways!" Takashi interjected, halting their argument. "It's obvious we can't leave the rest of the pile here anymore!"

"Why not?" Shiya asked.

"Are you deaf? In case the thief comes back!"

"But wouldn't the thief have already taken what they needed?" Shiya noted.

"We don't know that! This entire idea of placing all the items in a spot where anyone could take them was stupid anyways!" Takashi glared at Mikumo. "For now, everyone should take their items back. I think it'd be better if we had our own items instead of some thief taking them all."

"Jeez, you guys use 'thief' as such a derogatory term." whistled Kasumi.

"A thief does nothing but take the profit of another man's hard work! They have no place in our soci-" Takashi stopped. "Other thieves have no place in our society!" he finished weakly.

_Well, at least he seems to be trying to contain himself._ "What are we going to do about the missing items though?" Minuki asked.

"We need to look for clues on the culprit. That'll be our task as part of the council. Everyone else can leave now!" Takashi bellowed, signalling the end of the meeting. He waited for everyone to leave, then looked at the remaining council members. "Let us get to the bottom of this. We'll search for any clues we can find for the rest of the day, then we'll meet back here before Monokuma's Night Time Announcement okay? We'll be in pairs in case one of us is the thief. Shiya, you're coming with me." He motioned for Shiya to follow her. "Go off now!" he shouted, leaving.

Nathan stuffed his hands in his pockets. "How are we supposed to find this thief? We're not detectives..."

"At least we can try." Minuki walked along the length of the dining table. "Too bad the pile is gone now that everyone took their stuff back."

"Doesn't matter, we already investigated that. Nothing was of note except for the missing items." sighed Nathan.

"Did you check the video camera? Only the batteries were taken, there might've been some clues."

"..."

"Nathan."

"..."

"_Nathan._"

"Aha..." Nathan scratched the back of his head, smiling. "Whoops."

"How did none of you think of that..." muttered Minuki. "Let's go find Hank."

* * *

They found Hank exiting the mall, wearing the bag he had on the first day. He saw the two of them running to him, and stopped. "What is it? I'm rather upset right now..."

"Sorry Hank, but would you mind if we looked at your video camera?" Nathan stated.

"Why?" asked Hank, perplexed.

"We never did look at it earlier, and if it can help us find the thief..."

"I see. Well, go ahead, though I didn't notice anything different about it." He pulled out his video camera from his backpack, handing it to them. "Don't drop it, don't smudge the lenses, and give it back to me by the end of today will you? I need to put in the new batteries I just got from the store."

"Of course, of course. Thanks Hank." Minuki took the video camera, holding it carefully in her hand. Hank adjusted the strap on his backpack before walking off.

"Well? Anything interesting about it?" Nathan peered over her shoulders, trying to get a peek of it. Minuki inspected the camera, staring at the red-tinged lenses and the assemble of buttons over it.

"Nothing I can see. Maybe this was a waste of time?" Minuki laughed. She checked the battery compartment. "Yep, they are definitely empty."

"So we just confirmed what we already knew?"

"... I was really hoping for something." Minuki let out a breath, disappointed. "Whatever, Nathan go give this back to Hank. Doesn't seem very important." A thought crossed her mind. "I'm going to go find Tai."

"Tai? Why?"

"For all I know, he and Shihana were the last people in the dining hall last night... Oh yeah! I forgot to mention this earlier, but Tai told me himself that he and Shihana knew each other before."

"We already assumed that though. Anything else?"

"Nothing else of importance."

"Okay, I'll be going then. Take care!" Nathan walked back to the castle as Minuki left to go find Tai.

* * *

Minuki ran around the fields for what felt like forever until she found Tai sitting underneath a tree. He held a blue flower to his nose, smelling it. As soon as he noticed Minuki nearby, he got up and bowed, smiling. Handing her the flower, he said, "Why hello there madam. Beautiful as always."

"I don't need your honeyed words." she said, but took the flower anyways. _I'm not going to throw it on the ground right in front of him..._

"If you insist." Tai winked. "What did you come here for?"

"You remember last night?"

The merriment left Tai's eyes. He frowned. "If this is about Shiori..."

"No no. I was just thinking, the thief had to enter the dining hall to take the items right? You were the last one there from what I know. I was wondering if you or Shihana saw anyone?"

The smile returned to his face. "Ah, if that's your question, the answer is no. After eating a tad longer, we left shortly after you did. I saw Kakusa walking down the stairs to his room, but that was it. I would assume he was in the art room."

"Thanks Tai. I'll keep that in mind." She heard footsteps behind her, and turned to see Nathan running towards them. "Nathan?"

"I'm back, whew, to think you were out here...Gosh why did I run..." He gasped for breath, doubled over. "Anyways...While I was returning Hank's video camera, I discovered... that Kakusa was also up and about last night!" Nathan straightened his back. "Oh, I feel better now."

"I just learned that as well. Let's go find him." Minuki waved goodbye to Tai, as she and Nathan walked back to the castle.

"..."

"..."

"Um... Where did you get that flower?"

"Nathan. Concentrate."

"Sorry, sorry!"

* * *

As they entered the castle through the dining hall, they found Takashi and Shiya waiting for them. "What's going on? It's not even close to our appointed meeting time!" Minuki glared at them.

"But there hardly seems to be anything leading to a direct culprit, so why not wrap this up early and go back to whatever you were doing better?" Shiya rolled her eyes, as if it was obvious.

"In case you haven't talked to him, we already questioned Kakusa. He was rather... difficult, but we did get some answers out of him." Takashi took off his glasses, wiping the lenses with his uniform. "He said he was with Miyazaki in the art room, so he had an alibi for most of the night. He left at the same time as her, and went to his room to sleep. That's all he claimed to do last night."

"He doesn't have anyone to confirm his location after he left the art room for his room though." Added Shiya.

"Still, I don't feel like Kakusa would be a petty thief..." Nathan murmured.

"You can't deny the possibility that he 'stole' his own sculpture to direct blame elsewhere." said Shiya. "Also, your feelings hardly matter. You can't decide if he did it or not because you _felt _like he wouldn't do it."

"Wait, so we all think its Kakusa? What if someone entered the hallways after he retired to his room?" Minuki questioned.

"Unfortunately no one was awake that late at night! If anyone did enter the halls after him, we would have no way of knowing! Kakusa is the last and most suspicious person we know that was in the hall, so don't disagre-" he stopped, clenching his teeth. "...so I would appreciate it if you agreed with me." Takashi crossed his arms, troubled.

_Wow, what did Pearl say to him?_ Minuki wondered. "So, why didn't you confront him about this if you thought he was the thief?"

"That's the problem." Takashi pushed his glasses up. "We forced our way into his room and searched every corner of it. Couldn't find a thing. If he is the thief, he's hidden everything somewhere in the fields or within this castle, and he's denying everything."

"What are we going to do then?" muttered Nathan. "We can't search the entire grounds, it'll take days without a clue..."

"I think we have a decent lead with Kakusa though. I'll go find Miyazaki and question her about Kakusa's actions in the art room last night. Shiya is enough, four people is overkill. You two are dismissed!" Takashi shouted, walking off with Shiya in close pursuit.

Nathan took of his hat, holding it in his hands. "This isn't good. We're just a bunch of high-school kids, how are we going to catch a thief?"

"We just have to trust in Takashi and Shiya." Minuki said, realizing what that meant.

Nathan snorted, realizing the same thing. "We're screwed."

* * *

_-Ding Dong Ding Dong-_

"This is an announcement from your headmaster, Monokuma. It's the end of a beautiful day! Sleep tight you bastards!"

Minuki was already in her bed, thinking over the events since her new life within these walls. Castles, the video, deaths, her chessboard, and now a thief? Minuki flopped about, before stuffing her face into her pillow. Taking a deep breath, she screamed into her pillow, trying to drown out her voice. As her screams died out, she tried to relax.

After a few days of hearing Monokuma's Morning and Night Time Announcement, she still hated his voice. At least Monokuma hadn't appeared in the past two days. _In fact, I wonder why he didn't drop in to try and intimidate or scare us... _

Minuki tossed and turned, unable to sleep. At some point in the night, she thought she heard a thump noise, but it sounded... muffled? _Were these rooms partly soundproof?_ She sat up in her bed, wondering if she should go check out the noise. After a minute of thought, she draped her blanket over her body. She was too tired, and she needed some rest. She hadn't slept properly since waking up in this room, and she desperately needed every wink of sleep she could get.

That was her first mistake.

* * *

_-Ding Dong Ding Dong-_

"This is an announcement from your headmaster, Monokuma. It's another beautiful day! Go out and enjoy the sun you bastards!"

Minuki stumbled into the hallways, rubbing her eyes. She reached for where the door to the dining hall should be, but instead ended up grabbing someone's hair. "Oh, sorry." she apologized, noticing she had grabbed Tai's head. Tai didn't even react, staring inside the dining hall. Beside him Shihana gripped his arm, shivering. _What's going on? _"Tai?"

She nudged Tai over, peeking inside the dining hall. That's when she saw it. She covered her mouth, trying to stifle her growing scream. Monokuma's voice echoed through the castle, and now she knew why Monokuma hadn't come to visit them in the past few days.

_-Ding Dong Ding Dong-_

"A body has been discovered! Following a brief period of investigation, we shall begin our coveted Class Trials!"

Body Discovery: Check Profile

Minuki stared in horror at the limp body of Akahiro Seigi.

* * *

Outside, the TV whirred. The screen flashed pink, Akahiro Seigi's portrait becoming pure pink, drowning out his shining red hair and eyes. A line appeared over his name, crossing it out.

_... 26 days left..._

**Rai Zaimon**

**Pearl Taylor**

**Kasami Hatake**

**Hisano Kasumi**

_Akahiro Seigi_

**Shiori Shihana**

**Kinagai Miyazaki**

**Christian Noles**

**Masaki Takashi**

**Azura Mikumo**

**Kaisa Kakusa**

**Mai Shiya**

**Hayazuki Tai**

_Kana Nami_

**Overlord Yami**

**Yumiko Minuki**

**Nathan Dagle**

**Ayuri Hanagi**

**Hank Darabont**

**Amelia Woods**

_... 18 students remain..._


End file.
